The New Nation - Internet Edition

Hafizul Alam

Today 29th May 2008 marks the 10th death anniversary of the late Dr Shamsul Alam. This event can remind us of the contribution that many Bangladeshi's made abroad during our liberation war as well as the struggles they faced as students during the language movement days .His father in law was also a noted physician the late Dr Mohammad Mobarak Ali who qualified as a medical practioner in Kolkata in 1925 and was one of the first Muslim Doctors in British India.

Dr Abul Fazl Muhammad Shamsul Alam was born in 1929 at Peroli, Upazilla Kalia,the eldest son of seven brothers and five sisters. His late father Md. Abdul Goffar attended Presidency College and was himself a scholar who would ask challenging questions from Nessfield Grammar to his young relatives. His mother was Nur Jahan Begum a pious housewife who was the niece of Khan Bahadur Altaf Ahmed, retired District judge of Peroli Kahia.

Shamsul Alam had his education in Khulna Jela School where he stood 6th in the matriculation exams and got 3 letters. Then he went to Presidency college in Kolkata for his intermediate getting First Division and then to Dhaka Medical college. He stayed at Jinnah Hall Mizapur, Kolkata in 1945 during his Presidency college days. Originally he applied to get admission in honours in Physics however his father pressurized him to do the MBBS course .In the annual examinations of MBBS class of 1948 he stood 1ST and got 30 Rupees as scholarship in addition to 50 Rupees stipend from the Jessore District Board. His interests not only centered around medicine but also in political science and literature .So it was no surprise that he became a very close friend of (Justice ) Muhammad Habibur Rahman during his university days who had similar interests.

He was friend and political adversary of Dr Badruddoza Chaudrey who was one year junior to him in medical college He was active in the language movement as well as college politics. They argued a lot on political matters but their arguments were always based on reason. Dr Shamsul Alam edited the 1st Dhaka Medical College magazine in 1948 which was later banned by the government of East Pakistan. Dr Shamsul Alam was selected by some students of Dhaka Medical college for the canditure of vice president of the Dhaka Medical College students union.

In May 1960 Dr Alam got married and worked in various medical posts becoming Professor (Medicine) in Sylet medical college 1961 and then working in Rajshai Medical College as a medical register.

Badruddoza Chaudrey and Shamsul Alam worked together later in Dhaka medical college as lecturers in pathology after they both became Doctors. As B Chaudrey left for higher studies for 2 years and came back to Dhaka in 1963 his friend Dr. Shamsul Alam left for U.K in 1964 and settled there.

He went to the U.K on a commonwealth scholarship in 1964 to get his M.R.C.P which he obtained from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland ( RCPI ).Although living in the U.K during the liberation war like many Bangladeshis in London(where most of the Bangaldeshi community lived ) he followed the events unfolding in Bangladesh closely .He was involved like many others in the collection of funds which was sent to support the liberation war.

Bangladeshi Doctors in the U.K were very pro-active during our war of independence .He was one of the founding members of the Bangladesh Medical Association of U.K and had served a term as its President. At this period the Council for the People's Republic of Bangaldesh in the U.K was formed on 24th April 1971 in Coventry,UK by expatriate Bangladeshi's. One of the key members of the central steering committee for this organization was his close friend and associate Sheikh Abdul Mannan. Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury provided an advisory role to the steering committee. He always looked for and gave support and advice from his two closest friends in the U.K the Late Dr Q M S Ala (ex Director of Green Delta Insurance and General Medical Practitioner) and Dr. M.A Hakim (ex Treasurer Gono Forum).

After a losing touch since their days as lecturers in Dhaka Medical College. Dr Badruddoza. Chaudrey meet Dr. Shamsul Alam again in 1978 during his visit to London .After this whenever .Dr Badruddoza. Chaudrey went to the U.K he would often visited his residence in South London There they enjoyed each others company and talked about their past student days.

Dr. Shamsul Alam passed away due to myocardial infarction and coronary atheroma at a medical teaching hospital St Georges Hospital, Tooting was where Dr Alam worked as a senior registrar in the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation department in 29th May 1998. Dr Alam took up the position as senior registrar in 1978 and finished his contract in 1985. There he had developed research interests in the fields of rheumatoid arthritis and was regular contributor to the Annals of rheumatology .He worked under two renowned consultants Dr Brian Bourke and Dr Felix Bruckner. He served as medical consultant in Bhada Abdul Aziz Hospital in Riad, Saudi Arabia between 1986 and 1987.In 1990 he tried in vain to retire and settle in Dhaka but was unfortunate to have some bad experiences which made him disillusioned about Bangladeshi society and he returned to London.

Dr Badruddoza Chaudrey still keeps in contact with Dr Shamsul Alam's eldest son Hafizul Alam who now works as an accountant for a multi-national telecommunications company in Dhaka. Family ties remain as Hafizul is a good friend of Dr. Badruddoza son of Mahi.

Dr Alam was married to Mr's Jalale Fatema who survives him to date. His two sons, a daughter in law and two granddaughters. Special prayers and destitute feeding programme will be held in his hometown of Narail as well as in Dhaka. An orphanage will receive food donation.